Got Questions?

You can search the Auraria Library's catalog on the library's home page, or right here:

Reference books can be useful in locating background information on a topic, biographical data, lists of key articles on a topic, or statistics. Browse the REF HQ 1101 - HQ 1900 area on the first floor for similar books.

You can also do a keyword search in the library catalog to see what reference books the library has on women's studies, such as Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender  through Gale Virtual Reference Library. Try setting the menu to Keyword and searching for "women and encyclopedia" or "women and dictionary" (no quotes needed).

The Auraria Library subscribes to a number of databases that have articles on Women's Studies.  On the library's home page, put your mouse over Research Tools and click on Databases.  On the "by subject" menu, choose Women's Studies.  You may find GenderWatch most helpful.

This guide is intended to help you perform research for Women's Studies courses, as other courses that may discuss women's studies, such as sociology or literature.  If you are enrolled in a Women's Studies class, please check the list of blue tabs on this page to see whether your class has its own tab.

The Auraria Library has a wide variety of learning materials in the area of Women's Studies. These learning materials can be divided into four major groups:

• reference books,
• circulating books and media,
• articles and article databases and indexes, and
• archival material on microfilm.

This guide is intended as an introduction to materials that might be called women-centered or feminist, which are kept in a particular location, usually under a call number beginning with "HQ."

Be sure, also, to be aware of the date of your information.  The date of statistical information is always important; in addition, laws change, attitudes change, new issues become important.  Feminist style and rhetoric have changed.  To understand older feminist material, even older second-wave material, you must be aware of its historical and cultural background.

Keep in mind that material about women may be located nearly anywhere in the library -- women musicians in the music section, women writers in the literature section, women mathematicians in the mathematics sections. Also remember that material by or about women may be written from many standpoints; it may be feminist or liberal or conservative or radical. As with information on any subject, you have to consider the point of view of the author and how that affects the value you will place on the information.

Remember, if you need help, you can always ask a librarian!

In the library catalog:

Try some keyword searches that combine the words "gay," "lesbian," "queer," etc. with other topics that interest you.   For instance, you might try setting the catalog's menu to Keyword, and Searching for lesbian authors, gay families, queer culture, and so on.

There are many excellent reference books on LGBTQ topics.  Try doing a keyword search for "gay" and "encyclopedia," "dictionary," etc.  Here are a few to start with:

Great events from history: Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender events, 1848-2006. Ed. Lillian Faderman, et al. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2007.
Call number: REF HQ73 .G74 2007 (vols. 1 and 2)

Routledge international encyclopedia of queer culture. Ed. David A. Gerstner. London: Routledge, 2006.
Call number: REF HQ76.96 .R68 2006

If you find one book that seems helpful, you can use that to find similar books.  On the book's record, scroll down to the Subject lines.  If you click on a subject line, you will get a list of all the books in the library with that subject.

Finding articles:

The Auraria Library has a number of databases that cover LGBTQ topics.  On the library's home page, put your mouse over Research Tools and click on Databases.  On the "by subject" menu, choose Gay Studies.  The databases GenderWatch and LGBT Life may be especially helpful.

Using databases in other subject areas may really help you with your research.  You can see all the different subject areas on the "by subject" menu on the Article Databases & Indexes page.  Researching women in a particular time period?  Try a history database?  Researching a women's health issue?  Try a medical database.  If you're not sure which databases to start with, ask a librarian!  Here are a few favorites:

History:

America: History and Life

Historical Abstracts (This covers the world from 1450 to the present, except for the U.S. and Canada.)

Medicine:

CINAHL

MedLine Plus (This links to high-quality medical information on the Internet.)

Art:

Art Full Text

Psychology/Sociology:

PsycINFO

Sociological Abstracts

Finding biographical information at the library is easy.  To find books in the catalog, set the menu to Keyword.  Enter a name in quotation marks, and biography.  For instance:  "Emily Dickinson" and biography.  If you don't have a specific person in mind, try playing around with keywords.  You could search for "women authors and biography," "Chinese American women and biography," etc.

There are several databases that can help you find biographical information.  To access them, put your mouse over Research Tools and click on Databases.  On the "by subject" menu, choose Biography.  Biographies Plus Illustrated, Biography and Genealogy Master Index, and Contemporary Authors (which focuses on current and recent writers) often prove the most helpful.